


True is my Sword, and Brave my Heart

by Maewn



Series: A Hope Rekindled [5]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Gen, Hylian Sign Language, NB Link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maewn/pseuds/Maewn
Summary: Link watches the miasma of Calamity Ganon fade, vanishing in the golden light of Zelda’s Power. She bows her head, and for a moment, Link thinks that she is crying and then she turns away from the castle, towards them.
Series: A Hope Rekindled [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1457548
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	True is my Sword, and Brave my Heart

Link watches the miasma of Calamity Ganon fade, vanishing in the golden light of Zelda’s Power. She bows her head, and for a moment, Link thinks that she is crying and then she turns away from the castle, towards them.

“Link,” she says, and Link kneels, bowing their own head.

“Do you...do you remember me?”

Link raises their head, offering her a smile, and a nod. ‘I remember you, Zelda,’ they say, fingers twisting into the familiar shape of her name.

Zelda smiles, and this time, Link can see the tears in her eyes. “I’m glad,” she says. “I...was worried, you know, about how much you might remember...”

‘It is...difficult to remember sometimes,’ Link says, shrugging their shoulders as they stand, ‘I’ve made my peace with it.’

Zelda sniffles, wiping at her eyes and then she is running to them, throwing her arms around them, clinging tightly.

“Oh, I missed you, Link,” she says, voice muffled in their shoulder.

Link hugs her back, _“_ _I missed you too,”_ they say, and their voice is raspy, hoarse from disuse, but present here, beside their best friend.

“I can no longer hear the voice inside the sword...” Zelda confesses, “I suppose it would make sense if my power had dwindled over the past 100 years."

“ _You did hold Ganon at bay for all those years,”_ Link says, clearing their throat.

“I did,” Zelda says, pulling back a little to look at them. “I can live without hearing the spirit of the sword,” she laughs, a surprised sort of giggle, “I am surprised to admit it, but I can accept it.”

Link smiles at her, ‘Ready to go? I doubt you’d like to stay here in the ruins.’

“Yes,” Zelda says, looking over the castle, the stone towers that lay crumbling amidst the grass, the remnants of Guardians strewn around.

“Home is after all, wherever you make it,” she says, “Our people are resilient, we have rebuilt before, and we will again. One day...one day, Hyrule Castle will stand proud once more.”

‘One day,’ Link says, and leads her home.

* * *

Kakoriko Village is delighted to see Zelda and the festivities last long into the night, smoke from the bonfires clouding the stars as the Sheikah celebrate Ganon’s defeat.

Similar celebrations must be taking place in other villages, Link thinks as they lean back against the wall of the shrine that overlooks the central clearing.

Up here, the noise is slightly dimmed, and Link can have a moment of relative quiet. They like the people here well enough but they need a moment to themselves, away from everything.

They fiddle with their earrings, the topaz gleaming in the light of the fires. A gift from Mela before they had left town, and they had promised to return to see her if they could.

“Hiding?” Zelda asks, settling beside them and offering them a mug of cider.

“ _Just needed a moment,”_ Link says, taking the mug.

“I understand the feeling,” Zelda says, heaving a huge sigh as she leans back with her own mug. “I don’t remember you wearing those earrings before.”

“ _A gift from a friend,”_ Link says blushing.

“They must be a very good friend if they make you blush so,” Zelda teases.

Link flushes redder and looks away.

Mela is...a friend, yes, but there is something else there that Link feels, something that they have difficulty putting into words. A connection that is both similar and different from what they have with Zelda.

“ _She is...yes,”_ Link says at last, _“I promised to visit after Ganon was defeated.”_

Zelda nods, biting her lips as she watches the festivities continue below. “Might I join you...that is if you’d like me to?”

Link looks at her. _“Why would I not?”_ they ask, puzzled.

Zelda twists one of the braids that now adorn her head, studded with glittering blue beads, “I mean, I don’t really want to be alone, and I think that you understand, better than anyone how I feel….” she trails off.

“ _Zelda, I would be glad to have you travel with me,”_ Link says, setting their mug aside to grasp her hands. _“You are my dearest friend.”_

Zelda blinks back tears, sniffling. “Thank you, Link.”

Link smiles. _“_ _Now, how long do you think we can hide up here until Impa comes to drag us back into the celebration?”_

“Twenty minutes,” Zelda says immediately.

“ _Mmm,”_ Link says, picking up their mug and downing the cider, _“I say ten minutes.”_

“She’s almost as back as that one tutor I had back in the castle,” Zelda says, eyeing the various groups of people around the bonfires, squinting to see if Impa is among them.

“ _The one with the ridiculous eyebrows? Or the one with the terrible fashion sense?”_ Link asks, rummaging through their fragmented memories of the past. They can’t remember names, just impressions and a few scattered images.

Zelda giggles, “They all had terrible fashion sense, that doesn’t narrow it down much. But I mean the one with ridiculous eyebrows, yes. Longest I ever managed to hide from her was about an hour. It was like she had some kind of ‘Zelda-sense’.

Link laughs, and then both of them are giggling at the thought.

And that is how Impa finds them, bent double with laughter over memories of the past, leaning against the Ta’loh Naeg shrine.

“Are you two going to hide up here all night?” she asks, raising one white eyebrow at the state of the two heroes who have just slain Ganon.

“We’ll be down in a minute,” Zelda wheezes, wiping away tears. “Oh Goddess, that was funny.”

Link snorts, standing up, wiping away their own tears before extending a hand to help Zelda up.

Impa just watches them, shaking her head, though her eyes are amused as she turns to head back down.

“I needed that laugh,” Zelda says, grinning.

Link grins back at her. _“Into the crowd of well-wishers we go, I suppose.”_

“I’ll be right beside you,” Zelda promises.

“ _I know,”_ Link says, taking her hand. _“Come on.”_

“With any luck, there will still be some cider left,” Zelda says cheerfully.

“ _Let’s hope,”_ Link replies, then they are threading through the crowd to rejoin Impa.

“Three cheers for our heroes!” Impa calls, with surprising volume.

The sound is almost deafening, but Link can see how Zelda beams, delighted by the Sheikah’s rejoicing.

Ganon is dead, and they will rebuild. Hope has been rekindled once more.


End file.
